Devices for grasping free suture ends during surgical procedures are well known in the art. In one such device, an elongate element is provided. This element has a flexible, closed loop at one end. The elongate element is telescopically mounted inside a hollow shaft so that the loop can be alternately withdrawn into, or projected out of, the distal end of the shaft. In use, the device is manipulated so that the distal end of the shaft is brought into the vacinity of the free end of the suture which is to be grasped, the loop is projected out of the distal end of the shaft, the device is further manipulated until the free end of the suture extends through the loop, and then the loop is withdrawn back into the shaft so as to grasp the suture and hold it tight against the distal end of the shaft.
While devices of the type described above work, they also present several drawbacks. For one thing, it is often difficult (or impossible) to access a free end of the suture, even where some intermediate portion of the suture has been located. This is particularly true in closed surgeries, where visibility is frequently quite limited and space at the surgical site relatively restricted. Furthermore, in many surgical procedures, a free suture end needs to be passed through soft tissue before it is grasped and then tied off. In these situations, needles need to be attached to the free suture ends and then manipulated through the soft tissue using separate surgical instruments before the suture grasping device is employed. The need to use such multiple instruments in order to effect the desired suture passage and snaring may be inconvenient and cumbersome, particularly in closed surgical settings.